Latching connection for bed rails



H. J. VIENS Sept. 20, 1969 TION FOR BED RAILS Filed July 20, 1955 LATCHING CONNEC INVENTOR. HENRY J. VIENS BY M?,

ATTORNEY United States Parent k I 2,952,854 LATCHING CONNECTION BED RAILS Henry I. Viens, Wethersfield, Conn., assgnor to Thayer Furniture Corp.,.Gar'drienV Mass., Ya corporation of MassachusettsVY v Filed July zo, 1955, ser. Nbfszazov jz` (Crus-'494) This invention relates to anewV and improved latching connection for the rails of beds and cribs and provides an extremely 'simple and easily operated connection of the classdescribed which is positively held in position but which issimple andeasy to apply and easy to remove when it is desired to disassemble the crib or the bed.

Further objects of the invention include the provision of a bracket attached to the end of a bed rail for cooperating latching function with a plate secured to the corner post of a crib for instance, said plate being provided with a hook or hooks which extend upwardly and a dimple or pressed-out portion immediately below the hook of below the lowermost hook of several, in cornbination with an angular bracket having a rectangular aperture for the reception of each hook, the lowermost aperture being provided with a straight lower edge for snapping over the dimple and latching the bed rail in closely ixed rigid condition with relation to the end of the bed or the corner post of the crib, said bracket being removed only upon the utilization of a sharp blow as by a hammer upwardly on the lower edge of the bracket and being substantially incapable of accidental release.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating a crib or bed to which the invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation of one of the brackets;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of a hook or latching plate therefor applied to a crib corner post;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the .bracket of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of arrow 4, part being in section;

Fig. 5 is a view in ont elevation of the latching plate, looking in the direction of arrow 5 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. l5 showing the bracket latched with relation to the latching plate;

Fig. 7 illustrates the application of the bracket to the plate, parts being in section;

Figure 8 illustrates the bracket in latched condition, this gure being taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged section on line 9--9 of Fig. 1.

The reference numerals 10, 10 illustrate the end of a bed or the corner posts of a crib and in the latter case, these are provided with upright plates 12 having a series of hooks 14 thereon for the vertically adjustable support of a mattress support. The bed rail or angle-iron 16 is secured by its brackets 18, 20 to the respective corner posts 10, 10 and holds the bed or crib in rigid condition without the necessity of relying upon the crib spring support for holding the crib in rigid condition at all times.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 4, the bracket 20 is shown in detail, this bracket being the same as bracket 18 but reversed and being secured by any desired means such Y to those skilled in the art. Each latching plate 30 may be provided with any desired means for securing the same to the corner post and one of the main novel features of the latching plate resides in the dimple 38 which appears in exact spaced relation below the lowermost hook which is indicated at 34.

Each plate 12 is provided with end anges 44, 46, these flanges being apertur'ed and receiving the respective guide-rods 48 secured to the respective corner posts -10 at the upper ends thereof as at 50. 'I'he conventional drop side generally indicated at 52 slides vertically on the rods 48, as is Well known in the art, but the novel feature here is that the single plate 12 has the three functions of supporting and locking the rail 16, adjustably supporting the crib mattress spring, by hooks 14, and providing extra lateral support and sidewise stability to the drop side. The usual fastening for the drop side allows swaying of the rods 48, but the anges 46 prevent this in the present invention.

In assembling the bed rail to the bed or the crib, the respective bracket is positioned so as to enter its hooks 32 and 34 through the respective apertures 26 and 28 as is best shown in Fig. 7. This is done by moving the bed rail and bracket to the right as shown in Fig. 2, so that the respective apertures will engage the hooks of Fig. 3. Upon pressing downwardly, the lower edge of the bracket indicated at 40 comes to rest on the dimple or projection 38, see particularly Fig. 7, and the hooks do not firmly and solidly hold the bracket.

However, by applying a sharp downward blow according to arrow A in Fig. 7, the edge 40 will be snapped out and past'projection 38, being cammed outwardly against the holding action of the hooks. When the edge at 42, which is the lowermost edge of aperture 2'8, passes the dimple 38, the ange at its lower end then snaps in the reverse direction to be rmly and solidly held against the latching plate 30 by the resilient action of the hooks 32 and 34. It is virtually impossible to disconnect the bracket from the hooks in the absence of the application of a short blow upwardly in the direction of arrow B in Fig. 8 to again snap the portion of flange 24 that exists between edges 40 and 38, so that the bracket will then be lifted free from the hooks as will be apparent from inspection of Fig. 7.

It is believed that this invention clearly presents an inexpensive and easily operated positive connection between the bed rail to the ends of the bed or a crib rail or angle-iron to the corner postsAof the crib, and it will be appreciated that it will be virtually impossible to accidentally disconnect the bed krail or crib rail from its respective supporting means.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A self-latching bed-rail connection for detachably fastening the bed-rail to the end portions of a bed or crib comprising a plate on each said end portion, said plates facing each other, an upwardly-directed hook on each plate, and a projection on each plate below the hook and spaced therefrom; a bracket at each end of the bedrail, a ange on each bracket, and an aperture in each 3 ange, each aperture receiving a hook at the respective end .portion and temperarily balding the .bedrail with the lower edge of each flange resting on its corresponding projection, and the material of the ange between such lowerriedge and vthe adjacent edge @fthe respectitley aperture yielding and snapping-over the `:respective projection upon a force being exerted down en ,the braeket; theopposit'e edge ofthe aperture then being held vvto kthe hookat :the bright thereef Vand the preiecton being held in close, latched, contact with the said adjacentk aperture edge, the distance from the bighto the hook to ythe projection ibeing substantially equal v'to Ythe distance betweenthe said edges of the aperture.- i i 2. A ASelf-latching bed-rail connection for fdetachably fastening the bed-,rail i0 the end npoitieus'ef a;bed 0r crib comprising .a plate on asaid end portion, .a bracket on the bed-rail, afenge Onthe braeket having an aperture therein, the aperture being generally rectangular and having an upper and a lower edge, `a hook on the plate, a projection on the plate spaced trom the hook at'the bight substantially thesame as'the ldistance'between said aperture edges, said` aperture receiving the hook and the latter vholding the bracket against mrotieu normal i9 the plate, Vthe-upper apertureV edge restingy against the hook at the bight thereof, and the projection being latchingly held to the lower edge of the aperture and holding the bracket against motion to remove the bracket from the hook in a direction parallel to the plate.

References Citedin the tile of this patent UNI'YIED ,SEATESVRATENTS 765,402 Storch j -1 'July 19,1904 1,247,938 Cunenius 1 /Nov; 27, 1917 1,745,653 Weston Feb. 4, 1930 2,242,307 Kroll et al. May l20, 1941 2,328,316 Webbe-.geava- 1-7- Allg- 31, 1943 2,522,001 siegel VV- sept. 12, 1950 2,532,236 Klazkin v Nov. 28, 195o 2,641,772 Cook June 16, 1953 Y Y FORE'IGNPATENIVS 160,034 `Great Britain gf, g Mar, 17,1921

253,469 Great Britain 1111111317, 1926 

